Category: Reviews – Books
-
The Spiritual Meaning of the Sixties by Tobias Churton
The Magic, Myth and Music of the Decade That Changed The World Without doubt, as I have said before, and indeed, hope to say again in the future, any book by Tobias Churton is a special event. For instance, his books on Aleister Crowley are, without doubt, the most important books written on the Master…
-
Conversations With Neil Gaiman
One of the most interesting pieces is a 1987 interview/article that Neil did with Alan Moore. Moore notes the shoddy deal given by UK comics to its creators where their work is bought outright meaning they get no money from reprints, merchandise, film and computer game adaptations, etc. A most unfair state of affairs. I…
-
27: The Legend and Mythology of the 27 Club by Gene Simmons
Most people reading this review will have heard of the legend of the 27 Club, basically a group of talented musicians all having in common the fact that they died aged 27. The myth began in the 60s with the death of Brian Jones. Over the years membership of the club increased with the likes…
-
Iron Maiden: Album By Album by Martin Popoff
This is the best book ever published about Iron Maiden! For the following reasons: First, Martin Popoff is a great music writer, especially for our beloved genre of HEAVY METAL (say it loud we should be proud!), combining true knowledge and insight with an ability to tell a story and write genuinely engaging text. Secondly,…
-
Space Sirens, Scientists and Princesses by Dean Conrad
Nowadays, women are rightly a central part of science fiction films, but it was not always so. In early science fiction films women were usually assistants, eye candy, or there to give the square-jawed male hero someone to save from the flying killer bots from the planet Zog! Compare, for example, Forbidden Planet (entertaining though…
-
Heavy Duty: Days and Nights in Judas Priest
by K.K. Downing with Mark Eglinton When a band member leaves an iconic band it’s then you’ll get the true story on the said band. Such a book is the splendidly named Heavy Duty – the autobiography of K.K Downing, formerly guitarist in Judas Priest. And it is unputdownable! K.K. comes across as a very nice…
-
Mars By 1980: The Story of Electronic Music
by David Stubbs Electronic music is everywhere now. Look at the TV series ‘Stranger Things’, for example, with its John Carpenter-inspired synth-scapes. ‘Mars By 1980’ tells the story of how music got to this point. It was a long time getting here but now the future has arrived. The book is split into four main parts: Part…
-
I’VE GOT SOMETHING TO SAY: 10 YEARS OF ROCK AND ROLL RAMBLINGS
Danko Jones (Feral House, 2018) Danko Jones requires little introduction. Whether you are a fan of his incredibly hard-rockin’ band, his hilarious podcast, or his articles on all things rock for myriad magazines, the guy is an undeniably-prolific veteran of rock and roll. And it is because of his lifer dedication to rock that his…
-
Book reviews by Steve Earles: The Great War Illustrated 1918
Archive and Colour Photographs of WW1 By William Langford and Jack Holroyd This is the final book in this series, the last of five titles, which have to stand as one of the very best series that Pen and Sword has published – which is no mean feat. The photos and images in this book…
-
BOOK REVIEW: Uncovering Stranger Things
Essays on Eighties Nostalgia, Cynicism and Innocence in the Series Edited by Kevin J. Wetmore, Jr The success of ‘Stranger Things’ comes as no surprise. The 80s are far enough in the past to seem distant enough for comment yet near enough to feel fresh in the mind. This is a superb collection of 23 new…